


The werewolf in the woods

by Kapoen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abused Isaac Lahey, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bathing/Washing, Doctor Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Gen, Good Peter Hale, Homeless Isaac Lahey, Hurt Isaac, Hurt/Comfort, Isaac-centric, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Police, Puppy Isaac, Running Away, Traumatized isaac, stiles and derek are living together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24643828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kapoen/pseuds/Kapoen
Summary: Isaac lives in the woods in his treehouse after he left his father's pack. One day he goes to the city to get some food. After he comes back the bridge he has to cross to get to the woods is closed. He tries to cross it anyway but then two werewolves show up and offer him some help. Isaac is still traumatized by his former pack and doesn’t trust them. Can Derek and his mate Siles show Isaac that there are also nice wolves?
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 15
Kudos: 161





	1. How to get home?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this story. English is not my first language so this story properly has some spelling and grammar mistakes. I hope you enjoy it anyway :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac tries to get home

**Chapter 1: How to get home?**

Isaac was tired, he had spent the entire day in the city looking for food. Not that he had any luck. The supermarket didn’t offer a lot of free food to try that day and Isaac was sure the security guy knew he never bought anything. He had tried to steal something on the market but the owner caught him, it was only thanks to his werewolf speed that he got away. Well his life wasn’t great but it wasn’t totally horrible at least. He had his treehouse in the woods and normally he just ate anything that the woods offered him. Berry’s, leaves or even some rabbits but the winter was coming and the animals needed all the food that there was to find, they couldn’t go to the city like Isaac to steal something. 

Isaac smiled when he saw his beloved woods appear in front of him. Home was the only thing he could think of. His safe place. He walked to the bridge he had to cross to go to the woods. He stopped a fence in front of the bridge? “Repairs until 23-6” said the yellow board. Isaac couldn’t read, but understood that it meant he couldn’t cross the bridge. 

He tried opening the fence but it didn’t move. He was just about to use his werewolf strength when he saw that the rail of the bridge wasn’t blocked. He could easily climb on it and walk across the bridge like that. The rail was small but Isaac walked on smaller branches in his tree. It would be fine. 

Slowly he lifted himself on the rail. He walked a little bit and swallowed it was a lot more difficult than he thought. The rail was slippy and he was wearing shoes. He hated shoes so he only put them on when he had to go to the city. The shoes were years old and didn’t have any profile left. His left foot slipped and it took all he had not to fall off the rail. 

This was a stupid idea. Very stupid. But there was no going back now, because turning around would be almost impossible without falling. You can do this, just think about your tree he told himself. Suddenly he heard voices behind him and he froze. 

“Derek is that someone on the bridge?” a male said.

“Shit it is, you think he is going to jump?” Another voice probably Derek asked. Isaac heard their heartbeat raise.

“We should stop him,” Derek said.

“You go stop him, I don’t like interfering in other wolves' business” 

Isaac swallowed. He didn't smell it before but those two are werewolves as well. Great, just great he was standing frozen on the railing of a bridge and one of the wolves was an alpha. If the alpha wanted to fight it was not looking good for Isaac. 

“But Peter, you smelled it. He is just an omega, a young one, basically a puppy”. That was an insult Isaac was nineteen absolutely not a puppy. 

“I know you can hear us, so can you please step down. Let my nephew see that you're okay and then we can all be on our way” Peter said. 

Isaac turned around a little but the movement made his feed slip. He froze completely. 

“I.. I.. am okay, I’m not going to jump don’t worry. Just go. I’m only trying to cross the bridge”. He heard his own heartbeat was going faster. He was scared. The possibility that he was going to die was big. By the claws of the Alpha or the water in the river. He couldn’t swim. Can werewolves drown? He asked himself, yeah they probably could.

“Take it easy pup, it’s going to be okay. Just turn around and come down” Derek said. He tried to sound calm, but his heartbeat betrayed him. 

“I really think I shouldn’t turn around, I will just walk really fast to the woods” he said. Because what choice does he have? He would fall if he turned around and walked straight to an alpha and he never ever wanted to be close to an alpha again. Slowly he put one foot in front the other and spread his arms. He took a deep breath. 

“We can bring you to the woods if that is what you want, there are a lot of woods around here, no reason to take this bridge” Peter said. He is calmer than Derek, but he smelled weird. 

Yeah pup, we will bring you wherever you want. What is your name?”. Derek asked. Isaac knew they walked closer, their heartbeats were louder now. 

“I don’t need other woods, I need this part”. He walked slowly and he was almost half way. 

“Can werewolves drown?’ He doesn’t know why he asked but he needed to know. 

“Nobody is going to drown today. Take it easy” Derek said. Isaac took another deep breath and he was sweating. 

He put his right foot in front of his left and he was swaying to the right, to the water. He suddenly felt a bit dizzy, tired, hungry and scared, very scared. It took all he had to lower himself to sit on the railing. He knew he must get up. To go home. But he felt trapped. 

“Do something,” Derek told Peter. Peter didn't react. 

“I’m fine please go. I am not going to jump or something, I just need to go home. It will be fine”. That last part was more for himself than for the two werewolves. 

“Boy, pup. Don’t lie we know. We even smell that you're not fine. You're scared and hungry. And there are only woods the way you're going, no house” Peter said. Isaac started to dislike Peter, he didn’t know why. Isaac knew everything Peter said was true, but to point it out like this that wasn’t necessary. He needed to get away from them. He swallowed and got up again. Here goes nothing he told himself. 

He slowly stood up again. Derek yelled to him to stay seated but Derek has nothing to say over him, it just motivated him. He walked again. He could smell the woods, home, he walked a little faster and then... 

then he slipped, it happened very fast, too fast one second he was walking, the next he was falling. He heard himself scream. He felt the water surrounding him. He kicked and hit the water, it was everywhere, it was in his mouth. He was going to die. He felt the panic, there is nothing he could do, he would drown, a werewolf can drown. 

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. It gripped him tight. Another hand was around his chest. He was being lifted, he was moving up. His head broke the surface and he felt the air around him. He still couldn't breath. 

“Spill it out” a voice told him, there were hands moving him, swimming with him. The arm around his chest tightens very fast, goes soft and tightens again, it made him throw up the water he had inside him. He could breathe again. He grasped for air over and over again. He felt himself being lifted on the shore. 

Other hands are there. “Calm down, you are fine”. Isaac tried to calm down, he tried to slow his breathing. “In and out, in and out. Good just like this”. Isaac followed the voice and felt himself calming. 

After some time he even slowly opened his eyes. Two men, the werewolves are looking down at him. The alpha has black hair and wasn’t that old. The other is older and a beta. 

“Thank you” he said because you should say something to the people who save your life even if you don’t like them.

“You're welcome” The older one said.

“You just stood by Peter I jumped in, it’s no problem pup” so it is clear now who Peter is and who Derek is. An alpha saved his life. He didn’t know what to feel. He has to hate the alpha but he was also a little grateful. 

Isaac sat up. He needed to find another way to get home, no way he was going to try the railing again. 

“Well thanks again, I just be on my way home, I hope I didn’t screw up your plans for tonight too bad”. He stood up, he felt dizzy and really felt the urge to leave so soon as possible. 

“Where is your home, I will bring you” Derek said his heartbeat is steady and told Isaac he isn’t lying. 

Isaac shook his head. “I don’t live in the city, I don’t need a ride. I will find my own way,” he tried to smile. 

Peter walked close to him and sniffed “I don’t smell any kind of soap”. 

Isaac stepped back. “Well I just fall in the river so it probably washed off” 

“No he should still be smelling it. Also you're very hungry I hear your stomach. You don’t shower. Your clothes are very old, dirty and falling apart. Your eyes tell me you're tired. So pup, I think you're homeless and live in the woods, that's why you're so desperate to get back” Derek told him and Isaac panic he does the only thing he could think of, go to his safe woods. 

So he turned around and ran to the bridge again. He doesn’t think and acts on instinct. Hands graphed him. 

“You think he is suicidal or just stupid, Derek” Peter sounded angry. 

Derek appeared in front of him, so Peter was holding him. Derek raised his hand Isaac tried to make himself small. He knew what was going to come, he was going to get hit. Of course it’s an alpha, and alpha’s hit you but he just patted his cheek.

“Calm down, I don’t think he is either Peter, he is very scared, maybe traumatized even. Don’t worry pup I never hurt someone in my care”. Isaac opened his eyes and looked at Derek. 

“I’m not in your care,” he said slowly.

Derek looked at him for a long time. “You live in the woods right”. 

Isaacs swallowed “yeah, but I like it. I wouldn’t want to live any other way”. Peter let go of him. Derek's eyes looked him up and down. 

Isaac shook his head, no he would not go with an alpha not again. “No, leave me alone, please I didn’t know that the bridge would be closed, I will wait. I will not be trying to get on the railing again. Please don’t force me”. He was begging, he was shaking and crying. 

Derek looked lost for a second. 

“Ssh, calm down, you are okay. Nobody will hurt you. I didn’t save your life to hurt you later. Pup I wish you told me your name. Your safe. Being under my care only means that I provide you a bed, food, a shower, a doctor if necessary and keep you safe. I expect nothing in return. I promise you no one will hit you or otherwise hurt you”. 

“I promised myself never to stay with another alpha or werewolf again I’m sorry”. Isaac said he would rather be scared in the city than staying with them. 

“Okay I understand. What if I tell you there lives a human with us”. Isaac was shocked he never thought that all alpha’s were so bad. 

“You try to convince me by telling me you keep humans as prisoners”. Derek looked like Isaac just hit him.

“No of course not, you mean there are packs that do that? That is so wrong. I’m talking about Stiles my mate. He is human. I would never hurt him or keep him as a prisoner. He can take care of you. You would not have to see another wolf”.

Was he seriously considering this? “Fine”. Isaac said he didn’t know why he said it, because it is not fine but he was too tired to care now. He was cold and very hungry and he knew he wasn’t going to get rid of those wolves otherwise. 

“Oke, you will not regret it, Peter go get the car” Derek told him. 

Peter gave him a dirty look and left. “Oh Peter, call Stiles to tell him about our guest”. 


	2. Stiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac meets Stiles and takes a bath.

Chapter 2: Stiles

Derek drove the car to a big industrial area. 

“We own a building around here and rebuilt it into a house. Peter, Stiles and I are living there and my other beta Scott. He is really nice, getting a degree in medicine. Stiles is also getting a degree in computer science”. 

Isaac wasn’t interested in the small talk. Well he did want to know how many werewolves there would be living in Derek’s house. Apparently three, it was a very small pack then. 

“Listen, I understand that you are very private. That is totally fine, but can we know your name? I mean I don’t think you like being called pup or boy” Peter asked. Derek gave him a glare. Derek probably thought he was going to freak out again now. Isaac was a bit ashamed of the panic attack he just had. But he wasn’t going to tell his name. He was pretty sure his former alpha put a price on his head and Isaac wasn’t a common name around here. 

“I don’t want to tell you my name, you can call me whatever you want. I will be gone in a few days anyway”. Peter and Derek didn’t react at all but Isaac knew they didn’t like it. Well he didn’t like going with them either so they were even. 

Derek parked the car and stepped out. I followed him to a big black building with graffiti on it. It didn’t look like a house. “You live here” Isaac asked. Peter nodded and opened the door. 

I walked in after them, inside the building was a house. A pretty nice one even. There was a big room with a kitchen, multiple sitting corners, a sort of library and the biggest tv Isaac had ever seen. There was also a big staircase that brought you to a balcony. Upstairs was a long corridor with several doors. 

“Welcome to the Hale house” Derek said. 

“Derek, Peter good to see you both. Is this the omega?” Isaac looked at the man who was walking down the stairs. He was human so that must be Stiles.

“I’m Stiles nice to meet you”. It was the alpha’s mate, he had guessed right. Stiles walked over to him and went to shake his hand. Isaac didn’t shake hands so he just stared at it.

“Pup here, is a little bit nervous Stiles. He didn’t tell us his name and we are okay with that” Derek was giving Stiles the message that he should not try to make Isaac talk about that. 

“Can you maybe show Isaac the bathroom, he needs to wash. He doesn’t like wolves so maybe you can help him”. 

Stiles smiles. “No problem, come pup, is it okay that I call you pup? We can give you a make up name like Simon or James or whatever you want”. 

Isaac didn’t react. “Okay pup it is, but you can change that at any time”.

Isaac followed Stiles upstairs to a big bathroom. It had a bath and a shower. Isaac looked at it. It was years ago when he last had been in a bathroom, it was before he ran away when he was twelve. 

“Do you want to shower or take a bath, both are fine. I will get you some clean clothes, a toothbrush, you want anything else”. Isaac didn’t answer. He didn’t know what he wanted, a bath or a shower and what kind of stuff was anything else? Should he ask for a towel, or did they not use towels here?

“Maybe it’s best if I run you a bath, you look pretty tired. Is that okay?” Isaac just nodded his head. Stiles opened the taps to make sure the water was the right temperature. 

“So you can hop in now, how old are you?” Stiles asked. 

Isaac started taking his stupid shoes off. ‘I’m nineteen. How old are you?” he asked back. Stiles got him a big towel, so they use those here too. 

“I’m twentythree, just like Scott. Peter is somewhere in the forties and Derek is twenty eight”. Isaac didn’t react, he was just too happy to have taken his shoes off. 

“Are you going to stay in here and bathe me?” he asked. He remembered being washed when he was little or sick. He didn’t know if that was normal or not. He didn’t really know a lot of things after so long in the woods and then his pack wasn’t normal to begin with. He didn’t know if anything they did was normal. 

Stiles smiles at him. “I can help you if you want me to, but I could also leave. I don’t mind either”. 

Isaac didn’t like all those choices he had to make, you never knew if you chose wrong. Stiles didn’t look like a bad person, he had been very kind and he wasn’t a wolf. 

“You can help”. He prepares for a hit or someone telling him he made the wrong choice but it never comes. Stiles just smiles at him. 

Isaac took the rest of his clothes off and stepped in the bath. Stiles looked suddenly sad and his heartbeat went faster. 

“I can see that you must have endured a lot of pain to get these scars as a werewolf” he said. Isaac didn’t answer. He looked down at the scars, he could see his ribs, he should start to hunt for rabbits again since he was not going back to the city again when he was back in his treehouse. He hated to kill animals but he didn't want to starve either. 

Stiles handed him a cloth with soap on it. “Wash your body with it”. He tried to smile again. 

Isaac started slowly washing himself, he made sure not to touch the scars they were still hurting. 

“You know your scars don’t have to hurt. There are special creams that make them stop. Derek has one nasty scar that hurt him sometimes because of a fire accident. The cream helps a lot. If you want I can ask Scott for some cream, he is almost a doctor he knows what cream helps with scars. Isaac handed the cloth back. 

“I didn’t know you could make this kind of pain go away”. Stiles handed him the cloth back. “Go over every spot again. I will do your back and hair after that. I can ask him to come in and take a look at them quickly so we can put the cream on them before you go to sleep. Maybe they will hurt less when you wake up”. 

Isaac really liked stiles, maybe because he is human. 

“But he is a wolf”. Stiles nodded and started washing his back. 

“I know. but I will be here with you. And if you want him to go, you only have to say go. Scott is really nice, he had an opportunity to be an alpha once but he didn’t take it. He was rather a beta who could focus on his study to help other wolves and humans later than to have power. So I promise you, he is the last wolf on earth to hurt you. Your back is clean now”. 

Isaac didn’t know what to do. He believed Stiles but could he trust another wolf for a few minutes to get rid of the pain? He was leaning to the pain free side. It would make him a better wolf, he would need less time to get up when he falls while hunting rabbits, less time to catch a breath. He would sleep without turning so many times. Stiles was massaging shampoo in his hair. 

“Scott can come if he goes when I say go”. Stiles squeezed his shoulder. 

“Okay, let me raise your hair”. He took the shower head and cleaned his hair of the shampoo.

“Scott can you come to the bathroom for a sec” Stiles yelled. 

Isaac knew this was for the show Scott, Derek and Peter were probably eavesdropping the hole the time. Isaac couldn’t blame them, it would be pretty stupid to leave your human mate with an strange wolf and not to keep an eye on them. 

There was a nock on the door. “Come in,” Stiles said. He sat next to me now on the floor. The door opened and a young man came in. He smiled and walked slowly to us. 

“Hello, I’m Scott, how can I help you”. He squatted down beside me. He looked friendly at my face. 

“Pup here, has some scars that hurt him, maybe you can take a look at them and give him the right cream”. 

Scott nodded. “Would it be alright if I take a look at your body, I won’t touch anything without asking you first”. Isaac just nodded.

Scott looked at his chest, legs and back as good as he possibly can while half of Isaac was still under water. 

“Pup, there are four pretty bad ones that I can see, one is on your stomach, one on your back, one on your knee and one at your collarbone. I would like to touch those four to see how bad they are and how deep the scars are. I would also like to see the back of your legs. If you can stand up really quick then I can take a fast look”. 

Isaac took a breath and stood up. Stiles helped him and his hand never left his shoulder. “There is a pretty bad one on your right leg as-well, that must be hurting when you sit. May I touch it?” 

Isaac didn’t know what to say he looked at Stiles. “He will be gentle and fast”. Isaac looked at Scott and nodded. He felt Scott touch the scar and the skin around it. It did hurt. Stiles patted his shoulder. 

“You're doing great. Pup. Very good”. Scott moved to the other scars. Isaac felt a tear on his cheek. 

“Ssh pup. You are very brave. Scott is almost done”. Scott stood up after examining his leg. 

“I’m done you can sit down again”. Stiles guided him down. 

“Do you even want to sit, with the scars on your legs?” he asked. 

“I'm used to it, Scott is going to make it better right” Isaac said. Scott gave him a little smile. 

“Yeah I have creams that will make the pain lessen with around 85%. I had to touch them to find out how bad and deep they are. Just to be sure, they are all cast by an alpha right”. 

Isaac looked at Stiles again. “Pup, it’s okay, can you answer Scott?”. Isaac looked at his hands. “They are all from an alpha”. Stiles gave him a compliment again.

“Okay that's all I need to know about your scars. I will make the right cream and bring it to you to put on when you finish bathing. Is there anything else I can help you with? Any pains or cramps. You can ask me or Stiles anything. We want to help you” Isaac shook his head. 

“Scott I have a question, pup here hasn’t been eating very much as you can see from his ribs. Do you have advice for him how to fatten up a little”. 

Scott looked at me again now. “Are you okay to talk about this?” 

Stiles asked him a question he should just answer. “It’s fine”. 

“Can you tell me what you ate last week”. 

Isaac didn’t like the question because he knew they wouldn’t like the answer. “I didn’t eat much. Winter is coming so the animals need it more. I ate four leaves and sixteen berry’s everyday. I also ate one small rabbit when I got very hungry. In the summer I can eat whatever I want. That’s why I was in the city. I wanted to steal food, but it didn’t really go well today”. 

He smelled that Stiles was angry at him. Scott smelled angry too. “I’m sorry to make you angry. It wasn't like I wanted to steal, really I didn’t want to, I was helping the animals. Are you calling the police?”

Stiles hugged him. “I’m not angry at you, I'm angry that you had to live like that. It makes me sad”. Stiles let go of him.

“It’s fine I have been living in the woods since I was twelve I know how to survive”. Somehow that made Scott and Stiles smell even more sad, he is even positive that he can smell the sadness from Peter and Derek too. 

‘Well I would advise Stiles to make you some soup or chicken to start with since I don’t know where they sell rabbit meat, your stomach will be able to handle that. You can build from there. If you allow me to pup I would like to keep an eye on your health as long as you stay here. Maybe you can come to my medical room tomorrow so I can weigh you, take your blood pressure and stuff like that to make sure you're not in any other pain”. 

Apparently Stiles found that a good idea because he thanked Scott. 

“I will leave you two now. Pup you can always call me if you need anything. I don’t care if it is the middle of the night or if it isn’t medical. Just say Scott come and I will come”. 

Isaac tried to give him a smile. He looked nice for a wolf but Isaac knows that most wolves show their real face later.


	3. Sleeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac sleep in the Hale house.

Chapter 3: sleep 

“Come, you dry yourself and I will go get you a toothbrush”. Isaac gets out of the bath and starts drying his body. Stiles came back in and handed him some black underwear and a blue pyama. Isaac put it on. 

“Do you normally brush your teeth?” Stiles asks. Isaac shook his head.

“Do you know how to”. Isaac slowly nobs “I used to”. He takes the brush and quietly brushes his teeth. After that Stiles gives him a glass of water to raise his mouth. 

“Do you want to eat or sleep? Both are completely fine”. Isaac wants both.

“Is it possible to eat quickly and sleep then”. Stiles squeezes his shoulder again. 

“Totally fine, I will ask Derek to make chicken soup, you can eat that in your bed. Come on”. Isaac follows Stiles. Stiles doesn’t ask Derek to make the soup but Isaac sees him walking to the kitchen anyway. It proves what he already knew Derek was listening.

Stiles took Isaac and took him to a bedroom, it had a single bed, a closet and a big chair in it. On the nightstand was a bottle of cream. Stiles picked it up. 

“Scott works fast, put this on twice a day. I’m going to get you something to drink, put the cream on and get in the bed”. Isaac nobs. He starts putting on the cream and decides to listen to what Stiles would say to the other wolves.

“Did you find the cream and told him to put it on twice a day?” said Scott.

“Yeah he is putting it on now, how is the soup?” Stiles answered. 

“I kept it as plain as possible, I don’t think he is used to the taste of spice and herbs”, Derek told him.

“Derek, how is it possible that we never knew that there was an omega living in the woods so close. You should have smelled him”. Stiles sounded mad. Isaac started climbing in the bed. It was soft. 

“I’m not sure but I never spent much time around that part of the city and I always go to different woods. And he chose his time to visit the city wisely. There is a lot of bad weather on his way, to wash his scent away”. Derek was right about that Isaac was very careful. 

“I just really don’t like it, that there was a kid living in the woods so close to us and we never knew. What if you hadn’t been there tonight. He would have drowned and nobody would miss him or care”. Stiles was talking very fast.

“Well we know he lives there now, so we can help him, check on him. And from now on we would miss him, and care” Scott said. 

Isaac was getting angry. This was a mistake. He should not have come here, they are going to take his home away, they were going to force him to stay. Derek would go alpha on him, and cover it up by saying he cared.

“Stiles you better get back to him, his heart is going very fast. Maybe he didn’t like what Scott just said or something else is wrong” Peter said.

“Well hand me some water and I will go”. Isaac heard Stiles walking upstairs again. Stiles nocks on his door. 

“Can I come in”. Isaac doesn’t answer. Stiles opens the door. 

“You can say no, it is your room as long as you stay here. You heard what Scott said and you didn’t like it”. He sat down on the bed next to Isaac.

“I was really hoping that as soon as I was home again, you would leave me alone” he said quietly. 

Stiles hands him the water. “Sit up before drinking it. We wouldn’t force you to do anything. I would only bring some food in the winter. Scott would check on you sometime to ask if you are okay. If ever a scary, bad wolf comes close to you Derek will fight it for you. More than that we won’t do. You will hardly see us at all. We will only make things a little easier for you”. 

Isaac slowly drank the water, he wished that he could believe Stiles, but he knew better. They were going to force him to be part of this pack. They would use him, hit him, he would never see his treehouse again. Not run in his woods, not pet the deers or feed the birds. 

“Hè it’s okay, don’t cry”. Isaac hadn’t realized that he was crying. 

“Please I just want to live in the woods, I really don’t want to be part of your pack. I don’t want you to hurt me”. Stiles was hugging him now. 

“We would never. Calm down. I promise as soon as you can cross the bridge you can come home. We won’t come by often max once every two weeks for an half hour top. You would still be an omega, just one with back-up if necessary”. 

Isaac calmed himself down. “I’m done drinking” he gives Stiles the glass back he didn’t drink much. 

“I will put it on the nightstand so you can drink if you get thirsty again”. There was another nock on the door. 

“I got soup, can I bring it in?” said Derek. I looked at Stiles. 

“It’s your room, you can make the choice”. Isaac stares at the door. 

“Why do you keep giving me choices, I don’t like that”. The door opens and Derek steps in. 

“If we give you a choice both options are fine with us. You can’t choose wrong. We would never give you a bad option”. He hands me the soup.

“Is it not too hot Der?” Stiles asked. 

“No I let it cool down before bringing it, you can eat it”. Isaac looks at the soup and picks up the spoon he takes a small bite. It doesn’t taste bad. 

“Do you want any of us to stay with you or would you rather be on your own, eat something and go to sleep?” Stiles asked. 

So there is not a wrong answer, he was taking a risk but Isaac had to know if it was true. “I want to see Scott and then I want to be on my own” Isaac said. 

Stiles stands up. “That’s fine, are you hurting?” Isaac wanted to answer but Derek beat him to it. 

“Stiles, let’s go. Goodnight Isaac I will send Scott. If there is anything at all, something you need tonight just ask, yell for us to come to our room, it’s next to yours, you can come in anytime just nock, if you need Scott you can go to him as well”. They left.

There was a nock on his door again. “Can I come in?” Scott asked. Isaac suddenly didn’t know why he asked for Scott, it had been a test to find out if they would really left him and send up anyone he asked for. But what was he supposed to do now? 

“Pup, your heartbeat is going really fast, I'm going in okay”. 

Isaac shook his head but Scott couldn’t see that.

“No don’t I’m fine. I don’t need you anymore. Go”. He starts shaking he had made a terrible mistake Scott would be mad he had come up here for nothing. He put his hand on his head forgetting all about the soup until it fell over him wetting his pajama and blanket. “Oh no” he said out loud. 

The door opens Scott walks to him. “Are you hurt?” he asked, lifting the spoon and plate of the bed. Isaac shook his head. 

“I’m glad to hear that, I’m sorry I came in without your permission but you were panicking”. Scott walks to the door and opens it again. 

“He is fine Derek, just bring some clean pyjamas, another blanket and some more soup”. Scott closed the door again. And goes to sit on the same spot as where Stiles just sat. 

“Are you hurting?” Scott asked again. Isaac shakes his head. 

“Okay I just wanted to be sure. Is it okay if I take this wet blanket away. Isaac nods he is still shaking. Scott takes the blanket off Isaac and puts it in the corner. 

“We have a lot of blankets and pajamas so wetting a few is not a problem. There is also more soup. Shall I help you outta those wet pajamas”. Isaac let him undress him, Scott was really kind. 

There is another knock on his door. Isaac looked desperate at Scott. 

“It’s okay you made enough choices today I will take over for now. Tomorrow you can make them again. 

“Come in Derek”. Derek walks in and Stiles walks in after him with soup. Scott takes the pajama’s and dresses him in them. Put the new blanket around me and then feed him the soup. Isaac doesn’t know what to think. He is tired of thinking.

When Scott gives him the last spoon of the soup, he hands the empty plate to Stiles. “You go to sleep now, we leave. Goodnight”. 

They left the room and Derek turned the light off. He is alone in the room in a house full of wolves. They washed him, fed him, and made him special cream. How on earth did they expect him to pay them back. He needed to leave here so soon as possible. But not tonight they would hear him. He should try to sleep. 

It’s hard to sleep when you are used to nature sounds around you and your plush animals. The smells are different and his wolf is on full alert. It makes sleeping difficult. He has been trying to sleep for two hours. The clock tells him that. He focussed on the other persons in the house. Peter is asleep, so are Scott and Stiles. Derek the alpha is awake. Maybe guarding the house if the strange omega in his house decided to attack that was logical, especially with a human mate. 

“You need something, pup” he whispered. Isaac heard that Scott wakes up, he must have been a light sleeper. “No” Isaac whispered back. 

“Can’t sleep then? I know you are tired” Derek said. 

“I miss my home, I don’t feel safe, my wolf is so alert it keeps me up”. Isaac tells him. Why does he tell this to the Alpha?. 

“That's understandable. Do you want me or Scott or Stiles to sit with you. Make you feel safe”.   
“Stiles is asleep” he answered he only trusted Stiles. 

“I don’t mind waking him up, he will be willing to help you”. He hears Derek wake Stiles. 

“Stiles the pup can’t sleep, go to him, make him feel safe”. Stiles was in his room within seconds.

“You okay, can I lay next to you, maybe I can sleep as-well. Isaac moved to the wall. It was a small bed but Stiles made it fit. He patted Isaac on his back and started humming a song. Isaac forced himself to relax and fell in a dreamless sleep.


	4. A day with the Hale pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac first day at the Hale house.

Chapter 4: A day with the Hale pack

When Isaac woke up he felt the soft bed under him and a warm hand on his back. He turned around and looked at Stiles' face. The door of his bedroom opened. Derek appeared. 

“Come Stiles, didn’t sleep much let’s give him some more hours”. Isaac climbed out his bed and followed Derek downstairs. “Did you sleep well?” he asked. 

“Yeah Stiles is really nice”. Derek smiled “I know that’s why I love him”. 

Peter and Scott were both sitting in the kitchen. “Can I make you some breakfast?” Peter asked. 

Isaac tried to smile at him. “Some more chicken-soup would be nice”. 

Peter took a box out the freeze and warmed the soup. “Something to drink?,” Peter asked. Isaac shakes his head. 

“No I don’t drink much”. Isaac saw Derek and Scott share a look. “May I ask what the date is”. 

He looked at Derek. “It’s 20 today the day after tomorrow is 22, you can go back then”. Isaac looks at him 

“how do you know, there isn’t a calendar here”. Derek looks lost for a second. “The date is on my phone so I know that it is 20 today”. 

Isaac put his hands up and started to count on his fingers “20, 21, 22, so over three days I can go home, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow.”. 

Derek looked strange at him. “Yeah I just said that”. Peter put the soup in front of me. 

“Pup did you go to school?” Scott asked. I started eating the soup. I like Derek's soup a lot.

“No schools are dangerous. So we learnt everything a wolf needs to know from the pack”. 

Peter sits next to me “and what kind of things did they learn you”. I looked at him that was a stupid question. 

“Everything that you must know, how to fight, how to find food, how to listen, how to use our senses, how to build and repair stuff for the house”. There was a change in Scotts heartbeat

“Did you learn how to read, do math, and write” he asked. I look at him. 

“Of course not my alpha could do that; it wasn’t a necessary skill for us. But some older wolves taught us a bit of that for fun. Derek you can do those things as well right”. 

Derek just nods “Yeah I can, but Scott, Peter and Stiles can as well they learned that in school”. 

Isaac dropped his spoon. “Why did you force them to go to school, every time I started to think that you may be a good alpha? You show me your true, mean face. I think I need to leave now”. He just insulted an alpha of course he had to leave and fast, Derek was going to punish him. 

“No you don’t, just sit down, in this house we talk about stuff we don’t run away. I don’t know which part of the country you are from but I can tell you schools are pretty safe around here. I went to one. I didn’t force Stiles or Scott because I didn’t know them back then. Maybe you should take the time to get to know me before you decide I’m a mean alpha”. 

Isaac made himself small “I’m sorry”. Derek sighed “don’t be”. 

Peter decides to change subjects “Scottyboy do you have any plans for today?” Scott put the newspaper he was reading down. “Well I have a date with Allison tonight. I hope to see our pup in my medical room somewhere today and studying I guess, what about you?”. 

Peter drank slowly from his coffee. “Well, I have a few appointments with Alison and her father to talk about some stuff, Derek should be going but I take over for today”. Ah so Derek was on babysit duty apparently. 

“What are you going to do pup?” Peter asks. I looked at him. 

“Go to Scott his medical room, I guess”. Isaac looked at Scott who gave him a quick nob. 

“Yeah well, that won’t take all day. Is there something else you like to do? Maybe, watch tv” Peter asked. Isaac looked at the tv. 

“No thank you”. He didn’t like watching tv. The only thing on that was the news and he wasn’t interested in that. “What do you like to do in your free time?” Derek looked at him.

“Well, I play with the birds or pet a deer. Or sometimes I play with my toys or I practice werewolf skills”. He told them. 

“Okay, that sounds nice, what kind of toys do you have?” Derek asks.

“I have a teddy bear, a plush dog, a doll and blocks. Those I made myself with my knife. I can do some wood carvings as well” he knew he sounds proud but he didn’t mind. He was very proud of his skills especially since he found out on his own how it worked. 

“Well if you want I can get you some toys like that” Derek said.

I shook my head. “Don’t bother I will be leaving soon. I can just sit by the window and watch the clouds. I like that, I can do that for a few days”. He really liked watching the clouds. He could make many stories with the things I saw in them. 

“You want to spend three days looking at the clouds?” Peter asked the way he said made me feel like that was wrong.

“That is fine, I enjoy watching them too. Maybe we can watch them together if you like” Scott said.

“Yeah that is a great thing to do” Derek said slowly, clearly unsure. “Scott can you take Pup here to check him out. I want to take a walk with Stiles. He is awake. We won’t be gone long”. Scott started to put the dishes away. “Sure, take your time”. 

Isaac followed Scott to a kind of doctor office, He visited one before when he was very sick.

“Okay can you take your pajama shirt off and sit on the table”. Scott asked, Isaac did what Scott asked and he walked to him with an telescoop. 

“It feels cold but it won’t hurt. I can listen to your heartbeat and longs better this way. He put it on Isaac's chest and moved it around a few times. He tells Isaac to take a deep breath. 

“Very good, that sounds healthy to me. Now I’m going to put a sleeve on your arm to take your blood pressure. It won't take long. 

Isaac didn’t mind the sleeve and Scott was trying to help him. “It is a bit low, but nothing to be really worried about. Tell me why don’t you drink so much”. 

“Well, I can’t drink the water from the river or from the stream in the woods. They make me sick. So I drink the rainwater. I made a bucket where I tried to collect it. But sometimes it doesn’t rain for a long time. So my body is only used to a little water a day. It's not like I can get dehydrated or something, the worst thing that happens is that I get dizzy or that it hurts to pee when I didn’t pee for a long time”. 

Scott lets him talk. “Dizzy spells and pain when you are urinating are symptoms of dehydration. Wolfs can get dehydrated. I understand that it is difficult in the woods but you should really try to drink at least one liter and halve a day. Are you experiencing dizziness of pain by peeing right now”. He asked. 

Isaac shook his head. “I’m not dizzy and last time I peed it didn’t hurt”. Scott smiled. “May I ask when the last time was”.

Isaac started to think ‘somewhere” he counted on his fingers. “One, two, two days ago”. 

Scott, his smile fell from his face. “That is something that is very unhealthy. Your kidneys can be damaged. I think it is really important that you drink a lot today, at least one glass every hour, until you can pee again. And when you pee you need to put some in a little cup. I will give you one I can make sure you didn’t catch an infection”. 

Isaac stared at Scott. “That is very weird”. 

Scott forced his smile back up. “I understand but will you do it please”. Scott was nice to me. 

“Fine, just one time”. Scott draws some blood before he weighs me and finally lets me watch the clouds, well he forces him to drink a glass of water first. Scott was weird but also nice. He liked him. 

Isaac didn’t find it easy to accept it but his first day with Derek and his pack had been nice. Stiles had spent hours with him learning him how to draw. Derek gave him something called ice cream that he really loved. 

The only thing he didn’t like was having to pee in the cup, but Scott was very glad he did it for him so Isaac could live with that. Now it was almost dinner time. Isaac was watching Derek and Stiles cook. 

“Pup we are eating lasagna, but I made you chicken with carrots, is that okay” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah it is fine, if I eat everything will you give me more ice cream” he asked. He remembered that in his old pack you only got dessert if you ate everything. 

“Yeah sure, but just don’t over do it, your stomach is still getting used to our food”. 

Stiles was putting plates on the table and Scott joined us in the kitchen. He hands me a pill 

“You got a small infection, since you're eating and drinking healthy now your immune system will clear it out quickly, take this to give it a push in the right direction”. I took the pill and swallowed it. 

“Wow you made a lot of drawings” Scott looked at the papers on the salon table.   
“Stiles is a good teacher,” Isaac told him. 

“What do you think, the shopping mall is open tonight. We can go and buy you some new clothes and stuff” Stiles asked. 

Isaac looked at him. “I don’t need new clothes. The clothes I have are fine for this winter and in the summer I don’t wear clothes”. 

Derek look strange at him. “So in the summer you run around naked” he asked. Isaac nods 

“well I do wear my underwear. It can get really hot in the summer and I love running around”. 

Derek put all the food on the table. “Okay but what about shoes, yours were not in a good condition”. Derek asked him. 

“I hate shoes, The only reason I wear them is because people in the city will look weird at you and the chance that you can steal something is very small then. The wants I have now I stole four years ago don't fit, never did but they work”. He started to eat his food.

“Okay that’s fine, no shoes for you” Stiles said. 

Derek looked at him. “I guess you're right, Peter, how were the Argents?” he asked the older man. 

“They were fine, they had some info about a few packs that are traveling. You will probably get a letter from the Lahey pack to visit our pack, they are expanding their network. Get some new allies you know, I wouldn’t accept he is very cruel to his beta’s. We can’t be allies with alphas with ideas like his”. 

Isaac dropped his spoon and everyone looked at him. He felt the color disappear from his face. He started to get dizzy and nauseated. 

“Are you okay?” someone asked. Isaac jumped up. His dad was coming to get him. They were going to come for him. He had to run. He started running. Sweat all over his body. People tried to talk to him but he couldn’t understand the words. The only thing he heard very clear was a voice in his head that said, get out! He opened the front door. People were behind him. He started to run, use everything he had.


	5. Get out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac tries to help Stiles and runs away.

Chapter 5: Get out!

He didn’t know how long he had run but he was in the woods now, well not his woods. Those woods were darker. He was so tired and dizzy but he had to get away, he couldn’t afford to stop now. He started running again. His body didn’t want to but his mind did, the thought of his father was a good motivator. 

He fell on the ground but got up again. He didn’t know where he was going, deeper into the woods. In the corner of his eyes he saw movement. His dad was here, oh know! 

He desperately tried to run faster. Someone jumped him. He was fighting him. “Let me go, dad. Let me go”. More hands were on him. Oh no the complete pack got him. “No,” he yelled. His hands were bound behind his back, the wolfsbane he felled. There were voices talking to him. 

Derek ran after the pup, Scott and Peter were right behind him. It was raining very hard. That would make it difficult to trace but Derek caught a small scent. 

“That way”. They followed the scent. Derek was angry at himself. The pup had a panic attack and he let him go. Stiles was panicking at home as well.

“I can’t smell him anymore,” Peter said. Derek tried to smell as well. 

“No, why did it have to rain. Let’s split up”. They all run to different streets. Peter went to the bridge, it was the likely place to find him, but the original sent told him that the pup was running to a different place, the Argents woods.

He swallowed, Peter told them about the boy and the Argents wouldn’t kill a werewolf as easy as other hunters might but they were still hunters and the pup was panicking. He didn’t know what would happen if he fought them. He wasn’t stupid enough to hope that there weren’t there because off the weather, Chris always trains. 

Derek also started to go to those woods but not without checking every alley and street he passed. His phone started to ring. Chris on the phone screen told him. He swallowed and touched the answer. 

“You lost something?,” Chris asked. He took off to the woods. 

“Yeah the omega under my protection, don’t hurt him”. Chris made an annoyed sound. 

“You know how we can get him to stop fighting the chains. He keeps saying ‘no dad’, begs us to let him go. He is not really with us. Oh and his dinner came up just this moment. Put him on his side, don’t let him coke”. That last part Chris yelled at someone else. 

Derek, his heart went faster. “I’m almost there Chris, where are you in the woods”. Chris commands someone to call Scott. 

“The open spot by the stream. I send for Scott”. Derek hung up and ran. 

When he arrived at the open spot he felt his heart drop. The pup was lying on his side. One hunter kept his head looking to the ground to make sure he wouldn’t coke on his own vomit. His arms were bound behind his back and he was fighting the chains. He was whispering, begging and completely wet. His bare feed tried to kick but he lost his strength. It was the saddest thing Derek had ever seen. 

Chris walks to him. “Your boy”. 

Derek nodded. “Thanks for keeping him safe. You can take the chains off now. I take full responsibility for him”. 

Chris looked at him. “You take full responsibility for an omega that isn’t in your pack and you only know for a day”. 

Derek nods “Peter told you, he is just a kid with a little knowledge of this world. Treat him as one”. 

He walked over to the pup. Someone took the chains off. The pup tried to get away but Derek took him in his arms, hugging him tight. 

“Ssh, take it easy pup. I’m here, it will be fine, no one will hurt you anymore” the pup was fighting him a little. He pushed his head in his shoulder and put his own head on top of it. 

“It’s okay baby, your fine. You don’t have to worry anymore”. Chris appears and puts a big blanket around the pup. 

“Scott will be here soon. I guess Allison and her date will be canceled. Stiles is also on his way with your car”. 

Derek thanked Chris, he may dislike the hunter but he was a good man. He kept rocking the pup in his arms petting his head through the wet curls and making slow circles on his back. 

“Ssh, I got you”. He felled the pup go limp in his arms. His heartbeat went slower. Derek wasn’t sure if he had passed out or fallen asleep but he was grateful that the pup was finally calm. Slowly he lifted the pup up in his arms. 

“I’m going to walk to the car,” he told Chris. Chris walked over. 

“Yeah you do that. I will stop by tomorrow to talk how we are going to handle this” the nodded at the pup. 

“Fine”. Derek walked away. The pup wasn’t a thing or something that had to be handled. It was a small, scared teenager. 

When he was almost out of the woods Scott joined him. “Oh god Derek, is he okay?”. 

Derek looked down at the pup in his arms. “I don’t know”. 

Scott gave him a sad look and put his hand on his cheek. “He is cold, is Stiles on his way”. 

Scott put the blanket tight around the boy. “Yeah I hear the car, let’s go”. They walked out of the woods.

Stiles ran to them when he saw them appear. “Get in the car, poor puppy”. 

The ride home was quiet. Derek rocked the teenager in his arms and Scott checked for injuries. He couldn’t find any except the bruises and cuts from the chains. Stiles kept mumbling that he was going to yell at Chris for chaining up a kid. Derek couldn’t disagree but understood why Chris did it and if Chris hadn’t caught him who knows what had happened. 

In the house, Derek brought the pup to the bathroom where Scott and Stiles washed him in a warm bath, tended his wounds and scars before putting him in in his bed. The three of them were watched the pup sleep.

“Do you think the Lahey pack was his pack?” Scott whispered. Derek opened his mouth to answer but Peter who walked in beat him to it. 

“It was, while you were fetching over the kid I did some research. The Lahey pack is a pack that doesn’t allow many visitors. The only ones who are in the territory can only talk to the alpha mister Lahey and two off his beta’s. There are whispers that there are around twenty wolves in his pack. He doesn’t treat them so nice. Beta’s started to leave. Their alpha wasn’t very happy about that. He forbade them to contact people outside their pack and leaving the pack was punished by death. Seven years ago every pack in the state got a letter from mister Lahey. His son was being possessed and left the pack. Fearing for the safety of others, Mister Lahey demands that he be killed at sight or returned to him. There is a reward of 50000 dollar for the brave wolves or hunters who bring his boy back. His son was twelve years old. I found the letter in my archive. The picture of this Isaac Lahey looks like our omega”. Peter hands them the picture. 

Derek swallowed it obviously was the pup. “His own father put a price on his head” Stiles whispers. Derek feels the urge to kill someone. “What are we going to do Derek?” Scott asked. 

Derek closed his eyes. “Tonight we keep watching over Isaac, tomorrow when Chris is here we will write mister Lahey a letter back that we don’t agree with his ways to manage a pack. He isn’t welcome here and will be killed at first sight”. 

Peter shook his head. “A coward like that won’t be daring to come within miles of our territory after a letter like that”. 

Isaac opened his eyes, he was lying in his bed. The clock on the nightstand told him it was a little after ten in the morning. He remembered last night, the hunters. He had run away and Derek found him and took him back to his house. He remembered Peter talking about his father. He had to make a plan or something. There was a knock on his door. 

“It’s Stiles can I come in”. Isaac shook his sleepy head. 

“Yeah”. The door opened and Stiles walked in and handed him breakfast. 

“How are you feeling? He asked. “Alright I guess, is Derek mad?” he asked quietly. Stiles put his hand on Isaac's leg. 

“No of course not. He was very worried about you. Don’t worry Derek is with the Agents at the moment making a letter to tell your father that he isn’t welcome in our city. We know Isaac”. Isaac almost dropped the toast he was eating. 

“You know my name,” he said. 

“We do, Peter figured it out last night, don't worry about your secret's safe with us. We will never let anyone of the Lahey pack come close to you”.

Isaac didn’t know what to feel. He believed Stiles but it felt also strange his well hidden secret just wasn’t hidden any more. 

“Why are you helping me?” he asked Stiles. 

Stiles sighed. “Because we like you Isaac, you just found your way in our hearts. We know you are a nice person and we are glad that we can help you”. 

Isaac put his empty plate on the nightstand. “Well thank you I guess”. 

Stiles smiled at him “Your welcome, do you want to sleep some more or do you want to come downstairs”. 

Isaac looked at his bed and he wasn’t tired anymore. “I guess I could come downstairs”. He flopped the blanket off him and took his time to get out of his bed. He slowly walks after Stiles to the kitchen. 

“So you wanna watch the clouds or do something else”. Isaac walked to the window and it was raining again. The clouds were dark and moved quickly. He dropped to the floor and looked at Stiles. 

“I will watch it, then I still can go home right”. He needed to know. 

Stiles sat next to him. “Sure, you know that, I’m just not happy with it. I'm scared something happens to you and we can’t help you”. 

Isaac didn’t know what to say, Stiles was worried about him. He didn’t want him to get hurt no one ever cared before. 

“You can come and visit me, I guess I trusted you. You are the only person in the world I trust. I trust you because you are human and very nice to me”. 

Stiles gave him a hug. “Thank you, I trust you as well, I would love to be your friend Isaac”. 

Isaac leaned in to the hug. “Then you are my friend”. He had know idea where those words just came from. He wasn’t even sure he really trusted Stiles. 

Isaac stayed by the window the rest of the day, Stiles brought him food and drinks and sat sometimes next to him but never for more than ten minutes, he had to study. Derek and Scott weren’t home and Peter only came to the kitchen. When he did he only ask Isaac if he wanted some tea and if he was okay. 

Stiles was cooking dinner when Derek and Scott came back.

“Hé how did it go” Stiles kisses Derek. 

“Fine, we ended up writing new defense protocols and scouted the areas close to Isaac his woods. Well I did, I believed Allison and Scott were in her room doing homework”. He said the last word like he didn’t believe they did homework. 

Isaac tried to think off other things they could have done, maybe they made more of those protocols Derek mentioned earlier. “I’m glad to hear that. We had a quiet day. Isaac watched the clouds, I did do my homework and Peter was doing Peter things in his room. I hope you're hungry because I made vegetable soup”. 

Derek's face fell. “I should have taken Chris' offer to eat Chinese with him and Allison”. Stiles hit him play-full with his spoon. 

Isaac washed them with interest. Derek let Stiles hit him, he even laughed. This really was a special pack. 

“Just set the table sourwolf,” Stiles said. Isaac froze, Derek was not going to take commands from Stiles, he would attack Stiles for that, Isaac had to do something, Stiles was his friend. Derek looked at him. 

“You okay” he asked while starting to set the table, Isaac didn’t know how to react. Derek followed Stiles his order.

“Pup, are you okay”. Isaac forced himself to react. 

“Yeah I am”. He turned back to the clouds.

“Good come sit at the table” Isaac jumped up and went to the table. It was possible that Derek would punish Stiles later when Isaac wasn’t close. He didn’t want to see or hear Stiles in pain. Stiles took care of Isaac, Isaac had to take care of him too. 

He remembered one time in his old pack, one of the little kids had done something wrong and Isaac had offered to the alpha to take the punishment, the alpha had agreed but dubbed the amount of hit he was going to give the kid. Maybe Derek would do that as well.


	6. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac gets home.

Chapter 6: Trust

Isaac swallowed and walked over to Derek. He took his shirt off and fell one his knees showing his bare back to Derek. 

“Please alpha don’t punish Stiles, he didn’t know better, I will take his punishment. You may hit me with whatever you want and how long you want. I won’t scream. I will be good. Don’t hurt Stiles. I take responsibility”. 

He closed his eyes waiting for the hits of even kicks. 

“Isaac stand up, what are you doing?” Stiles sounded like he was panicking. 

“Be quiet Stiles, I will take it. Don’t worry”. Stiles walked to him and kneed in front of him holding his shoulders. “Please Isaac I don’t understand, Derek isn’t going to punish me or you. Look at me”. 

Isaac kept looking at the floor, why was Stiles so naive, “Please Stiles don’t make it worse”. 

Stiles started shaking him. “Isaac, come on nothing is going to happen. Derek tell him”. 

Derek slowly pushed Stiles away, Isaac closed his eyes, getting hits on his ribs was bad, but he understood that after Stiles his behavior the alpha had to be rough. To make an example out of him. 

Derek lifted his head. Isaac swallowed not his face. “Pup open your eyes and look at me”. 

Isaac immediately obeyed. He looked Derek right in his eyes. His heart was beating fast in his chest.

“Good, I don’t know what you think you or Stiles have done wrong but I promise you in my life that I never will hit you or him as a punishment or anything else. You both did nothing wrong and even if you had done something wrong I would talk to you, ground you or send you to bed early nothing more. The worst thing that I will ever do to you is yell at you, because I am not as calm as Stiles or Scott. I will never hurt you. No one should ever do that to you pup”. He pulled Isaac into a hug. 

Isaac didn’t know what to think or say. He couldn’t do one of them at the moment even if his life would depend on it. So he let Derek hold him, Stiles joined the hug, Isaac felled tears on his shoulder, Stiles was crying. 

“You're sad,” he said looking at him.

Stiles quickly brushed a hand over his cheek. “Just promise me Isaac that you will never do that again, not for me or for someone else. I need you to promise me that you will never offer to someone to hurt you. And promise me that someone does that you fight back with everything you got. Promise”. He half yelled half cried. 

Isaac shook his head, “I can’t do that, I just can’t”.

He jumped up, the feeling to get away was there again. But Derek took hold off his arms. “No you don’t. In this house you don’t run away, we talk, remember?”. 

Stiles gently took Derek's hands off Isaac 's arms. “Derek, he doesn’t understand our ways yet. This will scare him. Scott takes Isaac to his room, so he can calm down. I need to talk to Derek”. 

Scott took Isaac's hand and took him away from the kitchen. 

Isaac sat down on his bed and he felt empty and suddenly cold. “I think you're very brave” Scott was sitting next to him.

“Why?” Isaac asked back, he was everything except brave, he had run from his pack and hid in the woods for years.

“You were willing to take Stiles his place if Derek would have punished him. That is brave”. 

Isaac suddenly felt tears on his cheeks. “I’m not brave,” he whispered. “I ran away when I couldn’t take the pain anymore. If I was brave I would have stayed and taken the pain. Now others have to suffer”. 

Scott pulls him in a hug. “You have know idea how brave it was that you did that your age back then, taking others pain or punishment isn’t your job. They can run away as well and find a safe home just like you did. I’m not saying the ones that stay in your old pack are cowards but what you did to leave, to run. You stop accepting that that was your life. You took responsibility for your life and to do something like that is incredibly brave”. 

Isaac listed to Scott and took in his words, maybe Scott was right, maybe. 

They sat next to each other for some time until there was a nock on the door.

“It’s Peter with soup”. Isaac asked him to come in and Peter gave them both their food. 

“Everything alright here” he asked. Scott looked at me. 

“Yeah I'm fine now, are Derek and Stiles still talking or can I speak to them”. Isaac asked. 

Peter smiles at him. “I think you can talk to them, you know what eat your soup and go to their room” 

Isaac stood in front of the bedroom door. He knew that Derek knew he was there and still he couldn’t make himself knock. What if they were still talking to each other. He played with his sleeve. It was a light blue sweater that Peter gave him, 

“Keep it” he told him. Be brave, be brave Isaac told himself and then knocked on the door it was a quiet, quick knock a human properly would not even hear. 

“Come in,” Derek said. Isaac opened the door and slowly stepped into the room. Derek was lying on the bed arms behind his back and Stiles was sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of their room. 

“Good to see you Isaac, how do you feel?” Stiles asked.

“I feel fine, I think I need to explain my behavior to you” he said looking from Derek to Stiles and back. 

“You don’t have to,” Derek said. 

“I want to, Stiles told you to set the table and in my old pack nobody told dad, the alpha what to do, if you did he told us that the alpha knows best and never follows someone else's commands. Then he punished you for it. If you had to accept punishment, you had to take off your shirt like I did. You could take over someone else's punishment if you were willing to take double. I told Stiles he was my friend this afternoon and I don’t let my friends get hit. So you understand now”. He knew he was talking fast and almost forgot to breath.

“We understand, and I’m glad that you see Stiles as your friend, but like I told you before, never fear to be hurt by my hand” Derek said. Isaac nods. “Yeah I know that now”. 

“You must have been so terrified when you asked Derek to hurt you” Stiles said quietly. Isaac shook his head. 

“No I was being brave, Scott told me”. 

Stiles gives him a small smile. “Scott is absolutely right, you are incredibly brave. Please come give me a hug”. 

Stiles opens his arms. Isaac walked over to him and let him hug. Isaac wonders if all other packs are so willing to hug each other, he almost started to feel bad for leaving all of them tomorrow when he went home again. Stiles pulled him in his lap and patted his back while the rocking chair moved. Isaac found himself relaxing and closing his eyes, He wanted to think more but he was too tired and fell asleep. 

Isaac wakes up from the sunlight in his eyes. It was already morning. He was laying in his own bed and the blanket was tucked tight around him. It smells like Derek must have brought him to bed. 

Then he remembers. Today! He’s going home. He’s going home! He jump out of his bed and put his old clothes and the stupid shoes on. He quickly leaves the bedroom. He just thanks Derek and Stiles for letting him stay before he leaves. He looks around the kitchen and nobody's there. He looked at the clock. It was just seven in the morning, still early. Maybe it is better this way. He started to like living here a bit to match, but he should leave a thankyou gift. He sees his drawing paper on the floor and gets an idea. He takes one paper and draws a big heart just like Stiles learned him. He empty my pockets. There are some coins and candy that he stole in the city. He put them all in the circle. For the first time in his life he wished that he knew how to write ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’. He gave the house one last look before he ran out of the front door.

He ran through the city, the house is quite far away from the woods, but he didn’t mind even if he had to run all day he would have done it. Finely he sees the bridge. The french is gone and you can cross the bridge again. He runs over the bridge and sees his woods, he smiles from ear to ear. Of course he will miss Derek, Scott, and specially Stiles but here he is safe, here he is happy and here is his life. 

He doesn’t know how fast he has run to find his treehouse, it's still there of course but seeing makes it real. He threw off his shoes and climbed in the tree. He softly touches all his toys, his wood carvings, his fluffy dog, his doll, his teddy bear and even his blocks are still just like he left them. He picked up his teddy bear and started telling him what happened the last couple of days, it's quite a story but Teddy listens like always.


	7. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac gets lonely.

Chapter 7: lonely 

Isaac was sitting in his treehouse making a present for Stiles. He was carving a wolf out of wood. It was almost finished. He would give it to Stiles this afternoon. Stiles gave him a calendar. Stiles had written on the calendar when people would visit him. Today it was Stiles day.

He loved Stiles' visits the most. Stiles would bring him cookies and toys, like a drawing book or a music box. Stiles would hug him and tell him stories. Derek and Scott would hug him too when they visited but it was different. 

Scott would ask him questions about his scars and what he was eating and drinking. Derek would try to train him. He didn’t see Peter much, when he came by it was usually for a short visit, Peter would talk a lot and Isaac had to listen. He didn’t like that much. 

“Isaac, you there’ it was Stiles. 

Isaac looked down. “Stiles’ he said happily. 

“Can I come up’ Isaac nodded. Stiles climbed into the tree and sat down next to him. “First a hug” Stiles put his arms around him and pulled him close. 

‘How are you doing pup”. Isaac let go of Stiles and showed him the wolf he made.   
“It's a beautiful pup, did you make it?” 

Isaac nodded ‘for you’. 

Stiles took the wolf. ‘Thank you. I like it a lot. It's really beautiful’. Isaac felt the pride in his body. 

‘I have cupcakes’. Stiles opened his backpack and put the wolf in. He took out two cupcakes and gave them to Isaac. ‘I brought them in a little store, one is supposed to taste like strawberry and the other like blueberry’. 

Like always Stiles stayed for hours. Isaac was laying down with his head in Stiles lap. Stiles was reading him from a book. It was a story about a princess who slept for years’. Stiles was petting his head slowly while reading. 

Stiles' cell phone went off. Isaac let out a frustrated sound. 

‘Don’t worry I will read the rest’. Stiles picked up the phone. Isaac didn’t listen, Stiles had told him that wasn’t respectful. 

‘Hey Derek, ….I’m with the pup….He is doing fine, well he is a bit angry you called while I was reading him sleeping beauty…...That fine...see you then’. Stiles put the phone away. 

‘Derek will be picking me up in half an hour’. Isaac turned his head away, he didn’t want Stiles to go. 

‘Don’t be like that. I visited every week and invited you for sleepovers so many times. Why don’t you try it’. Isaac shook his head he wasn’t going to leave his treehouse. 

‘Let’s finish the story’. Stiles started reading again. 

Isaac heard Derek his heartbeat before Derek called out for him and Stiles. Derek climbed in the treehouse and squeezed Isaac's leg. 

‘How are you doing’. Isaac didn’t answer he was mad. He didn’t want Stiles to go. 

‘Look Derek what Isaac made for me’. Stiles showed Derek the Wolf. ‘Wow it’s really nice Isaac’ Derek said.

‘Why can’t Stiles stay longer’ he didn’t dare to look at Derek. Would Derek be angry at him for demanding time with his mate?

‘Pup, It’s already getting dark, there’s a big storm coming. Stiles needs to be inside a house. I don’t like it that you are out here in the storm. Why don’t you come home with us. Stiles will cook for you, help you bath and read you more stories. You would like that right”. 

Isaac nodded. ‘I can’t’ he said. 

Stiles put his head on his forehead. ‘Please, Derek will bring you home tomorrow’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘Please go’. He didn’t want to make this any harder.

‘Oh pup’ Stiles kissed his forehead. Derek did the same and the climb down. ‘I will be back next week’ Stile said.

Isaac cried for a long time. He never wanted to be part of a pack again. Packs always hurt you. He missed Stiles, it hurt. Maybe it was better if he didn’t see them again. After every visit he got so sad. He shouldn’t do this to himself.

It was hard avoiding the other wolves. The first one was Scott, Isaac hid in the woods. Staying at least half a mile away from Scott. Scott left after an hour. He didn’t smell happy. When Stiles went to visit he stayed close by. Stiles called for him, looked around and took out his cellphone. 

‘He isn’t here...no… I need you to find him!...no tonight...maybe he is hurt….Yes….you do that’. Stiles hung up. Isaac watches him putting cookies in the treehouse and a blanket. 

That evening he ran as fast as he could. He needed to get as far as possible. Derek would be looking for him. Derek was probably very angry, Isaac made his mate upset. He reached the end of the woods. He was tired from all the running, he only had eaten the cupcakes and a few berries this week. The winter was hitting hard and Isaac didn’t want to kill other animals. He hadn’t eaten Stiles his cookies. He didn’t feel like he deserved them. 

It wouldn’t take Derek long to find him. He was probably following his smell. Isaac looked at the field in front of him. Should he leave the wood? He was out of Derek is terrortorium then. Maybe Derek couldn’t follow him then. His heart was beating fast. Did he dare to do this? Yes! He bit his lip and ran. 

He ran until he fell down, he didn’t have any energy left in his body. He was laying on the ground somewhere far away from his woods. He didn’t even smell then anymore. He closed his eyes. He laid there until the sun started to shine. It was morning and Derek had not found him. Good, he didn’t need a pack. He was cold. He better get back to the woods. He sat up, something fell off him and opened his eyes. The world was white. It was snowing. He stood up looking around. Which way were his woods. He didn’t recognize anything. His heartbeat went faster. He wasn’t lost. He would find his way home. He started walking. His bare feet started to hurt from the snow. Where was he?

He walked for hours, at least it felt like hours. He was shivering and so hungry. He sat down in the snow. His clothes were soaked. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling from his eyes. 

‘Boy, are you okay’ he looked. Two man, police officers walked over to him. 

‘Get a blanket he is freezing. Call an ambulance’ one man said to the other. Isaac tried to stand up and run away, but he couldn’t find the energy. 

‘It’s okay, let's get you out of the snow’. The man tried to grape him. Isaac moved away. 

‘Come on, let me help you’. The man took Isaac his arm and lifted him up. Isaac offered little help when they walked over to the police car. They put a blanket around his shoulder and put him in the car.

‘What is your name?’. Isaac didn’t answer. The blanket didn’t do much to keep him warm, the police officers kept asking him questions, he didn’t listen or answer. 

After some time an ambulance appeared. The police officers talked to the man from the ambulance. One of them walked over. 

‘Let’s get you in the ambulance son’. Isaac let the man move him. In the ambulance the man wanted to move the blanket. Isaac pulled it back. 

‘Come on, I need to get you out of your wet clothes and start a iv’. Isaac didn’t want to take his clothes off. Stiles brought them for him. His t-shirt had a picture of a red car. He liked his t-shirt. 

‘No’ he said. They were driving. 

‘Come on your freezing. It gets worse if you keep the clothes. If you don’t they will sedate you in the hospital and take them off anyway’. 

Isaac didn’t know what sadate meant but he didn’t like the sound of it.

‘I want to leave’ he said. ‘Can’t do that boy. How old are you?’. 

Isaac looked at him. ‘I’m nineteen, I am an adult. I can leave’. 

The man leaned back giving up the fight. ‘We are at the hospital in three minutes you can discuss this with the doctors there’. 

The ambulance stopped and Isaac jumped out of it as soon as the door opened. People were running over to him, trying to touch him. 

‘he refuses medical treatment’ the ambulance man told the people. He walked back, people tried to get closer. 

‘Leave me’ he tried. They didn’t listen. Then he smelled it, Scott! ‘Scott was here’. He pushed people with his werewolf strength. They yelled but he threw the blanket off and started to run. It was an uncoordinated run. People were after him. He fell a few times until he found the right door. He opened it. People were sitting around a table looking at a woman who was pointing at something on the tv. 

‘Scott’ he yelled. The people chasing him caught up. They tried to work him to the floor. 

‘Get off him’ it was Scott's voice. Scott was there. Scott argued with the other people. 

Suddenly Scott lifted him up. He carried him to an empty room. They were alone. 

‘Let me take a look at you’. Scott lifted his shirt. ‘Arms up’ Isaac did. Scott took his shirt off and put it on the chair. ‘Pants’. He moved Isaac so he could take his pants off. Scott looked his naked body over before getting a tick blanket out of a closet and put it on him. 

Scott patted his head. ‘You’re so thin and cold. What happened?’. Isaac fell tears on his cheeks again. 

‘Ssh, the nurse called Derek and Stiles, they will be here quickly’. Isaac only cried harder when he heard that. 

Scott tried to give him something to eat and drink but Isaac refused. There was a knock on the door. A nurse opened it.

‘Mister Hale is here’. Scott nodded. 

‘Send him in’. Only seconds later Derek appeared. He walked over to Isaac and kissed his forehead. 

‘Ssh pup, it’s fine now. I’m here. Nothing bad will happen to you’. He moved Isaac to sit behind him letting him lean against his chest. Derek was petting his head. 

‘He feels so cold what happened?’ Derek asked. 

‘The police found him just outside the city. They called an ambulance. He refused their help. Didn’t want to take his clothes off. In the hospital he panicked. I think he smelled me. Because he ran straight to me yelling my name. I took him to this room and examined him a bit. He needs to eat, drink and to warm up’ Scott explained. 

‘Stiles’ Isaac asked. He felt ridiculous for trying to get away from the pack, from Stiles. 

‘He wasn’t home. I will take you to him’. Derek lifted him up. ‘Let’s go home’. 

Isaac let Derek and Scott carry him to the car. Derek drove while Scott held him. Derek called Stiles in the car and told him what happened and to make sure a warm bath was ready. When they arrived at the loft Stiles was waiting for them. Derek carried Isaac. 

‘Oh my god, poor puppy. Quickly the bath is ready’. Stiles was trying to touch him but Derek walked too fast. 

‘You can mother hen him all you want when he is in a warm bath’ Derek told him. Derek walked into the bathroom and put him in the bath. The warm water hurt his skin a bit. 

‘Okay pup’ Derek asked. Isaac nodded. He looked around for Stiles and held his hand out. Stiles quickly went over and took his hand. He pushed both their hands under the water. 

‘How are you feeling’ he asked. 

‘I’m sorry’ Isaac said. He couldn’t look at Stiles. 

‘It’s okay, can you tell me what was going through your head’. Isaac bite his lip. ‘I was angry, everyone was leaving. I thought it was better to forget about the pack. It hurt so much every time you left’ he was crying again. 

Stiles was leaning over him so he could hug him. ‘Oh poor puppy. Why didn’t you say something? We will figure something out. Ssh’. Stiles was rocking him slowly. 

‘I have a sandwich Isaac, you need to eat’ Derek sat down on the other side of the tube. Stiles let go of him.

‘Eat up pup’. Isaac took the sandwich. His hand was shaking badly. He looked at Derek. ‘I ran away from your pack’ he said. 

Derek nodded. ‘You did, but you found Scott and now your back’. Derek didn’t sound angry. 

‘Do you… uhm. What is my punishment?’ he asked. 

Derek sighed. ‘You made a mistake, you were sad and angry. I won’t punish you for that. But I really hope you will stay here at least until the snow is gone. But I won’t force you’. 

Isaac believed him. He took a small bite from his sandwich. ‘Am I going to jail?’ he asked. 

‘What?’ Stiles said. ‘The policemen. I didn’t answer their question. Do I have to go to jail for that’. 

He looked at Stiles who shook his head. ‘Oh no! You were in shock. You didn’t do anything wrong. You won’t be arrested or sent to jail’. 

Isaac didn’t react, he just ate his sandwich. ‘I didn’t let them take the clothes you gave me’ he suddenly remembered. ‘Only Scott could take them off’. 

Stiles smiled but it was a sad smile. ‘If a doctor or paramedic wants to take off your clothes you should let them. They want to help you. I will buy you new clothes. If it’s necessary you let them rip your clothes apart. The clothes aren’t important’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘They are important, it was a present’. Stiles nodded ‘yes but your health is more important. I will take you shopping sometime. We take Derek his credit card and we will buy you lots of clothes’. 

Isaac looked at Derek. ‘It’s fine pup, money isn’t an issue’.


	8. Paralyzed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac thinks he can’t leave his bed.

Chapter 8: paralyzed 

He soaked in the bath until the water ran cold. Then he let Stiles and Derek dry him off and let them put him in some nice and soft pajamas.

‘Time for bed’ Stiles said.

‘But it isn’t night’ Isaac protested. ‘I know but your body needs it’ Stiles said. I will read you a story’.

They put him in the same room as last time. Stiles sat down next to him and started to read the story of the princess who slept for years again. Isaac didn’t close his eyes. He didn’t want to sleep. 

‘Finished’ Stiles told him.

‘Again?’ Isaac asked, 

‘no you are going to sleep. I will read it again later’. 

Isaac sat up. ‘I don’t want to sleep’. 

Stiles sighed. ‘Your body's exhausted. You need to sleep so the werewolf healing can kick in. You are still running a fever’. 

Isaac looked at him. ‘If I don’t sleep will Derek punish me’. 

Stiles shook his head. ‘No, but if you get out of bed, I will tell him to put your back in. It’s to important. I won’t let you out of this bed before you slept for at least two hours’. Isaac looked at him. ‘Are you mad?’ Stiles shook his head. 

‘No pup, but I really need you to go to sleep right now’. He opened the bedroom door and walked out.

Isaac didn’t lay down again. He focused his hearing trying to listen to what Stiles and Derek would discuss. 

‘Looking for the boundaries’ Derek said. 

‘I know, but why?’ Stiles said.

‘He is trying to understand the pack. We should quick this conversation. Pup is listening in. Isaac Stiles told you to sleep’ Derek yelled. 

Isaac laid down again. ‘Don’t want to’ he whispered. 

‘Not up for discussion’ Derek said. 

He heard Derek and Stiles typing on a computer probably sending each other messages. Well Isaac was not going to sleep. 

He quietly picked up the storybook Stiles left. He opened it. He couldn’t really read that well. A few words he recognized but most were too difficult. He looked at the pictures. They were beautiful. He really wanted to learn how to draw like that. He liked drawing. 

The bedroom door opened. Derek walked in. ‘Isaac. You are sick. You won’t get better before you get a couple hours of sleep. You make it worse by staying awake’. 

He took the storybook. ‘Reading isn’t sleeping’. 

Isaac nodded. ‘I was looking at the pictures’. 

Derek sighed. ‘Doesn’t matter. Lay down’. 

Isaac did. Derek sat down on the chair in the corner. ‘Close your eyes’. Isaac closed slowly. 

‘Good now take ten deep breaths’. Derek showed him and counted how long he should breath in and out. 

Isaac opened his eyes. He really fell asleep. He had no idea if it had been two hours. Was he allowed to wake up? He needed to pee. But Derek had made it very clear that he was supposed to sleep. He listened to the heartbeat. There were two. Stiles was home with a stranger. They were talking about honkbal. He couldn’t leave his bed until Derek was home to ask him if he was allowed. He pushed Derek's patience enough today already. He laid down and tried to sleep more. It didn’t work, he tossed around. 

‘Derek’ he whispered. No answer of course. He couldn’t yell for Stiles not when he had a visitor. Oh his bladder hurt. Derek and Stiles made him drink three glasses of water in the bath. He started crying again. What was he a crybaby! He probably cried five times today. 

He waited and hoped for Derek to come home. Maybe he only slept for a half hour or so. Stiles and Derek would be so mad. Suddenly there was a wetness between his legs. He had peed himself! He couldn’t stop the tears anymore. The door opened. Isaac looked up and Peter was standing there. He was wearing his coat. He probably just came home. 

Peter sniffed the air. ‘Uhm do you want me to get Stiles or call Scott’ he asked. 

‘Derek, I need Derek’ he said.

‘Derek is with Chris, the hunter. We can’t call him. I will send Stiles’. 

Peter left before Isaac could protest. 

Not even a minute later Stiles rushed in. ‘Pup you are okay’ Isaac nodded. 

‘I couldn’t leave the bed’. Stiles eyes wired. ‘What is there something wrong with your legs? Can you move then’. 

Stiles took the blanket away, he didn’t look at the wet spot, he started to touch Isaac's legs. 

‘Do you feel this?’ Isaac looked at Stiles with pure shock. Wasn’t Stiles mad? 

‘Can you move them a little,’ Stiles' heart was beating very fast. 

‘I’m sorry’ Isaac said. Stiles gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

‘Nothing to be sorry for. Be right back’. Stiles left the bedroom. 

‘Peter’ he yelled. ‘Call Scott and Derek. It is an emergency. Isaac is paralyzed’. Stiles came back into the room.

‘Stiles’ Isaac started.

‘Yes pup’ Stiles took his hand. ‘Why am I paralyzed? He didn’t understand. Maybe wetting your bed when you were nineteen was a serious illness called paralyzed. ‘I don’t know. But we are going to help you’. 

‘Stiles’. A policeman appeared in the door opening. Isaac didn’t dare to move or even breathe. 

‘Peter asked me to tell you he was picking Scott up. Derek is on his way to. What happened. Did he fall’. The policeman walked closer to Isaac. Isaac tried to disappear in the headboard of his bed. 

‘I’m sorry’ he whispered.

‘None of that,’ Stiles said. 

‘I’m scared’ he told Stiles. He really didn’t want to go to jail. 

‘Scott and Derek will know what to do. No reason to be scared’. Isaac thought about that. Would they try to free him? Maybe they would try to give the policeman money. He tried to move to Stiles, he really wanted to have one last hug. The policeman stopped him. 

‘It’s better not to move until we know what's going on’ he said. He kept a firm hand on Isaac's shoulder.

‘I will miss you’ Isaac told Stiles. 

‘Pup, it will be fine. Maybe it will take some time but you will live’. It would take some time. So Stiles expected him to do at least some time in jail. The policeman kept his hand on his shoulder. Probably so he couldn’t walk away. Maybe he could answer the questions the other policemen asked. Maybe it would help. 

‘Isaac, my name is Isaac, he said’. 

Stiles nodded. ‘We know. It’s okay’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘I’m not cold’ he remembered them asking if he was cold. 

‘I’m glad to hear that’ the policeman said. The policeman was glad. Maybe this was the right thing to do. What more did they ask? 

‘Stiles gave me those clothes. I didn’t know he would buy new wants so I didn’t want to take them off’ he told the policeman. 

‘Isaac calm down. I know you're confused. Take a deep breath’ Stiles said. 

Isaac looked at the policeman. ‘I forgot your other questions’. 

The policeman smiled at him. ‘It’s fine, you are doing great’. The man squeezed his shoulder a little. 

‘Really, are you happy with me’ he asked the policeman. 

The policeman nodded. ‘Very happy son’. Isaac heard the front door open and Derek run immediately to his room. 

‘What's going on?’ he asked. Kneeling next to Isaac. ‘Isaac couldn’t leave the bed. He is paralyzed. He is also very confused’ Stiles explained.

‘Did you sleep’ Derek asked. Isaac nodded. ‘Scott will be here soon. We didn’t see any injuries before. Isaac did you fall or hurt yourself’. Isaac shook his head. He felt really embarrassed sitting here in his own piss with three people looking very concerned. Nobody seemed to care about the pee. He didn’t understand the situation anymore. He looked at Derek. 

‘I don’t understand’ he whispered. 

‘It’s probably a shock reaction. Nothing serious. Scott will check you over. It will be fine. Are you in pain?’ Derek asked. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘Stiles can you get the scissors from Scotts room, for clothes’. Stiles nodded and ran out the room. 

‘Scott will be here soon, he needs to examine you. I don’t want to move you so I will get your clothes off. Nothing to be worried about’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘I wanted to move, why am I not allowed’ he asked. 

‘Because you're hurt. It will make it worse’ Derek explained.

‘I don’t feel hurt’ Isaac tried.

‘When you paralyzed you don’t feel pain,’ the policeman explained. Isaac looked at Derek. 

‘You mean I’m really hurt but I don’t feel it’. Derek nodded. Isaac's breathing increased. This was really bad. 

‘Calm down. Ssh’ Derek tried to calm him. Stiles walked back in handed Derek the scissors. 

‘Oh pup, I know you're scared. Stiles climbs on the bed moving in front of Isaac's face. Blocking the view of Derek. 

‘Derek told me you looked at the drawings in the book’ he said. Isaac nodded. He felled the steel of the scissor touching his leg, cutting his pants away.

‘I have been thinking maybe we can hire a teacher, someone to teach you how to draw’. Stiles kept his hand on Isaac's face. The thin cotton of the pajama pants left his skin. Derek replaced it with a blanket. 

‘Maybe Danny can do that. Danny draws beautifully’. Stiles moved a bit when Derek needed him to. Soon the blanket reached his shoulders leaving Isaac naked under them. 

‘Scott here’ Derek said. Peter and Scott walked in the room. Derek whispered something to Scott. 

‘Do you need help Scott’ Stiles asked. Scott shook his head. Everybody but Scott left the room. They didn’t move far from the door. 

Scott took his time touching every inch of his body. Moving his arms and legs. He made Isaac squeeze him and push against his hand. 

‘Your not paralyzed. You probably felt that way because you have been pushing your body too much. When that happens the body switches some functions off. Trying to save energy. I’m going to give you a few shots and you need to eat and sleep better. I want you to take it easy for at least two weeks. Not leaving this house’. 

Isaac looked said. Scott took out the syringes. He quickly took Isaac his arm and injected them. Isaac feld his eyelids grow heavy. 

Isaac opened his eyes. He was still in his room. Somebody changed the sheets of his bed and dressed him in a new red pajama. The door was open. Was he allowed to move? Was he healed from this paralyzing illness? Should he call for Scott? or Derek? He didn’t know. Was the policeman still here? Would he be arrested? 

Derek appeared in the door. ‘Hey how do you feel’ he asked. 

‘Fine’ Isaac said. Derek walked to his bed. 

‘Stiles is cooking breakfast, do you want to come down?’ 

Isaac nodded. ‘Is the illness over’. Derek thought a second before answering. 

‘Well your healing powers kicked in, but you are still too thin’. Isaac climbs out of his bed. 

‘I was scared’ he tells Derek. Derek put his arm around him. 

‘I know, It was scary’. 

Stiles gave him a big and long hug before setting a plate with pancakes in front of him. 

‘I’m so glad to see you up and walking around. I was terrified that you broke your back or something’. 

Isaac didn’t answer. ‘I called Danny, he would love to give you drawing lessons. Would you like that’. 

Isaac stopped eating. ‘Can he climb in the treehouse’. 

Stiles shook his head. ‘Derek or I will bring you to his art studio and pick you up after two hours’. 

Isaac looked at Derek. ‘Is that okay’. 

Derek nodded ‘it’s okay’.


	9. Drawing lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac first drawing lesson from Danny.

Chapter 9: Drawing lessons 

The next two days Isaac didn’t do much. He watched the clouds with Stiles and tried to draw the pictures from the storybook. Derek told him that he should stay for two weeks, to get some meat on his bones. Isaac was still a bit scared from the paralyzed thing so he accepted. 

‘Isaac’ Stiles sat down next to him on the floor. 

‘I will bring you to Danny after lunch. Derek will pick you up around four. Is that okay’. 

Isaac nodded. ‘Is Danny a werewolf’ he asked. 

‘No but he knows that you are one. So you don’t have to hide anything from him’. Isaac nodded. 

Isaac looked at the door of Danny, his art studio. He was nervous. Stiles knocked on the door. A few moments later a tall man with black hair opened the door

‘Ah Danny’ Stiles said. ‘This is Isaac’. He pushed Isaac a little. Isaac offered Danny his hand. 

Danny shook it. ‘Hello Isaac come in’. They walked in a big studio. There were a lot of paintings, drawings and other art. 

‘Welcome to my studio’. 

Stiles walked over to a painting. ‘It’s place is amazing. I never expected this when you went to art school’. 

Danny smiles ‘I didn’t expect it either’. 

Isaac waits by the front door, not knowing what to do. ‘Why don’t you sit down Isaac’ Danny points to a chair. 

‘Isaac I will be going now. Danny has our phone numbers. He can call us if you need something. Derek will be here around four’.

Isaac nodded. ‘I know’. 

Stiles gave him a quick hug and left. 

‘So Isaac, what do you want to learn’. Isaac looked at Danny. 

‘Stiles said you would teach me how to draw’. 

Danny smiles. ‘I will, maybe we can start with something simple like a tree’. 

Isaac nodded. ‘I like that, I live in a tree’. 

Danny raised his eyebrows. ‘I thought Derek adopted you’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘No, he just watched out for me. I live in the woods’. 

Danny put some papers on the table and a pencil. ‘Okay, that sounds nice’. Isaac knows Danny is lying. ‘Here just start drawing, I will give you some pointers’. 

Isaac takes the pencil. He put two lines down. ‘Maybe it will be easier if you hold your pencil like this. 

Danny takes the pencil out of Isaac first. He moves his fingers until the pencil is just between his point finger, middle finger and thumb. It feels strange. Danny holds his hand and together they start drawing. 

The drawing is beautiful. Isaac can’t stop looking at it. It really looks like a tree. There are leafs, and birds and grass on the ground. Danny shows him techniques and sometimes holds his pencil so he can feel the movement. 

There is a knock on the door. Danny walked over and opened the door. Derek walked in. 

‘How did it go’. Isaac showed him the drawing. 

‘I love it’. Derek ruffled his hair. ‘Did you make that’. Isaac nodded. 

‘It’s amazing Isaac’. Danny smiles. ‘He worked really hard’. Derek took out his wallet. ‘Sixty right’. Isaac stared at the money. Derek gave Danny three bills of twenty dollar. That is so much. Derek picked up Isaac’s drawing. 

‘See you next week Danny’. Isaac gave Danny a quick smile and followed Derek. He climbs in the car. 

‘Derek, I don’t have money’. Derek started the car. 

‘I know’. Isaac played with his shirt. 

‘Three bills of twenty is a lot right’. Derek started driving. ‘Don’t worry about it. Money isn’t an issue for us’. 

Isaac bite his lip. ‘Why are you paying for me’. 

Derek gave him a quick look. ‘We like you Isaac, your part of my pack so I take care of you’. Isaac looked at the window. ‘But why do you like me? I don’t understand’. Derek gave him a sad smile. ‘Well you are a very nice kid. It’s difficult not to like you. Your part of our pack, your family’. 

Isaac looked at him. ‘My family hurt me’.

Derek's face changed to anger. ‘I know, we will never hurt you’. 

Isaac sighed ‘If I’m really bad you would hurt me’. 

Derek shook his head. ‘No I wouldn’t’. 

Isaac didn’t believe him. ‘If I hurt Stiles, you would hurt me’. 

Derek made an angry sound. ‘You will never hurt Stiles on purpose. If you ever hurt him, it would be an accident. I won’t hurt you for an accident’. 

Isaac shook his head. ‘You don’t know that. Maybe I'm as bad as my father. He was a bad person, so I must be a bad person too. At least half bad’. 

Derek parked the car. ‘You are not a bad person Isaac, you're nothing like your dad’. Isaac didn’t react, he just got out of the car. 

‘Can I go for a walk’ he asked Derek. Derek looked at him clearly thinking. ‘Yeah, but I would like it if you stayed close. Try to stay within four blocks’. 

Isaac nodded. ‘Do you want me to join you’ Derek asked. Isaac shook his head. ‘Okay, see you soon’. 

Isaac walked on the sideway. He believed that Derek and Stiles really liked him. He liked them too. He just needed some air. To think about what Derek said. Derek never did hurt him and promised to never hurt him. Isaac knew he was really meaning it. But Derek was still an alpha sooner or later he would get angry at Isaac. He would hurt him even if he didn’t mean to. 

Isaac wished Derek would understand that. He kicked a stone. 

‘He Isaac’. Isaac turned around. The policeman from a few days ago was walking to him. Isaac froze would he finally be arrested now. He stopped walking. 

‘I’m John by the way. I never introduced myself’. John gave him a big smile expecting him to answer. ‘Are you feeling okay son?’. 

Isaac nodded. ‘Yes sir, I’m feeling okay’, he wouldn’t make the same mistake as before. He would answer John. 

‘I’m glad to hear that. Where are you going?’. 

Isaac's heart started to beat very fast. ‘Nowhere, I was just walking around’. 

John nodded. ‘Ah, maybe I can join you’. 

Isaac took a deep breath ‘You can sir’. 

John laughed ‘quick the sir. Call me John’. John walked next to him, Isaac started walking as well. ‘Do you enjoy living with Stiles and Derek?’. 

Isaac just nodded. ‘You not tired from Stiles’s talking yet?’. Did he just insult Stiles? Isaac didn’t know how to react. He didn’t want to anger John, but he should defend Stiles.

‘I like his voice’ he just said quietly. 

‘Yeah, but he does talk a lot’ John sighed. ‘Tell me about yourself Isaac, where are you from?’ 

Isaac felt his heartbeat rise again. ‘I’m not from around here. I moved here’. That wasn’t a lie. 

‘Where are you from then?’ Isaac bite his lip. He couldn’t answer that. He couldn’t tell John about his father. He also couldn’t lie and he had to answer the question. 

‘I’m’ he started but he couldn’t. His lips started to shake. He was about to cry. 

‘I’m sorry’ he just said. John was looking at him now. 

‘Calm down, you don’t have to tell me’. Isaac shook his head. ‘Am I going to jail long?’ 

John stopped walking. ‘What why, why would you go to jail?’ Isaac feld a tear on his cheek. 

‘When the other policeman put me in the police car I didn’t listen very well. I didn’t answer their questions. I was bad’ he explained. 

‘You were arrested? What for?’ Isaac looked away. 

‘I’m not sure, I must have done something wrong. I did run away, I didn’t listen’. John looked lost. 

‘You run away before they could question you?’ Isaac nodded. ‘I was scared’. John sighed. 

‘Let’s walk over to the station. That isn’t far. I will check the computer’. 

Isaac knew this would happen. He would go to jail. Should he run away? No this was his own fault. 

‘Okay’ he whispered. 

It took them twenty minutes to reach the station. Isaac was shaking badly and crying. John tried to smooth him but it didn’t work. 

‘Do you want to call Derek or Stiles’ he asked, clearly not comfortable with the disstrest teenager. Isaac nodded. 

John handed him his cellphone. Isaac heard Stiles' voice and he couldn’t make out the words. 

‘I’m going,... I’m going..., jail.... Stiles... I’m arrested’ he hiccuped. Stiles was talking again, saying calming things that Isaac didn’t hear. 

John took the phone from him. He sank to the ground. John appeared in front of him, he tried to get him to focus. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there. Suddenly Stiles was there. Putting his arms around him, kissing his head. Derek, his smell was there also. He felt himself calm down. He could hear words again. 

‘Ssh baby. Pup your save’ Stiles. ‘How could you? He is so fragile’ Derek. 

‘Sorry’ John. He moved his head so it was laying on Stiles' shoulder. 

‘You okay’ Stiles asked. Isaac nodded. ‘Dad promise me, you or you deputy’s never take Isaac again. You always call me first’ Stiles sounded angry. 

‘Dad?’ Isaac whispered. ‘Is my dad here?’. 

Stiles rocked him. ‘No your dad isn’t here. He would never get close to you again. I promise you, remember’, Isaac remembered. 

‘John, the policeman. He is my father. He was at four houses a few days ago. When you were ill’. So John didn’t want to arrest him. He was visiting his son.

‘I don’t want to go to jail’ his lip tumbled again.

‘Dad tell him he isn’t going to jail’.   
John kneed in front of him. 

‘Son, you didn’t do anything wrong. You were ill. My college’s just helped you. You not going to jail’

‘Let’s get you home’ Stiles said.


	10. A pack and a home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac makes a decision.

Chapter 10: A pack and a home

The rest of the two weeks went fast. It stopped snowing and Isaac went back to the woods. Stiles had dropped him off. Walking him to his treehouse, giving him extra blankets and food. He asked if Isaac would stay at the Hale house but he wasn’t ready yet. 

Isaac found it difficult to admit but he was sad to leave. He loved his morning with Stiles who was teaching him to read and television time with Derek. He even spent some time with John. John teached what was illegal and what not. 

Isaac told him about stealing food when he was hungry, but John said it didn’t matter. Isaac didn’t have a choice. As long as he wouldn’t do it again because now he had a choice. He could ask help. Derek, Stiles and even John would help him if he ever was hungry again. 

He even missed his warm bed and soaking in the bath while Stiles washed his hair. He was sitting in his treehouse alone in the dark. It didn’t feel like home anymore. 

It was raining bad. His teddy bear was soaked. He pushed it against his chest anyway. Stiles would visit more often and Derek would bring him to Danny every week. But still, most of the time he was alone. 

He wished he had grown up in Derek his pack. Derek was a much better alpha then his father ever was.

The lightning lights the woods. Isaac swallowed he hated lightning. It always breaks something in the woods. He squeezed his teddy bear harder. If he was still in the Hale house Stiles would bring him to bed now. Letting him choose a story from the book. Laying next to him to look at the pictures together. Stiles would tuck him in and kiss his forehead. He would feel loved. He didn’t feel loved now.

There was lightning again. It hit his three! Isaac screamed and dropped his teddy bear, he cried out when his tree caught fire. He tried to move away from the fire but it moved fast. 

He tried to get his teddy bear but it was burning. He burned his hand trying to grape it. He yelled and jumped out of his tree. He leaned against another tree and watched his house burn. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there, the fire and rain had stopped. It was morning. The whole tree was gone. Only ash remained. His toys, his music box, his wood carvings were all gone. He couldn’t look away from the tree.

He didn’t know how long he sat there it was getting dark again when he realized he had to move. He slowly stood up and started to walk. He needed Derek and Stiles. 

He walked to the city and looked around. There was a police car nearby. He walked to the car. An officer stepped out. ‘Can I help you?’

‘I need to go to Derek and Stiles' house. John said the police will always help him’. John made sure every deputy had Derek his number. 

‘John? Ah you're the foster kid from his son. You do look older than I thought. I have their numbers somewhere around here’. The officer looked at his papers in the car. 

He found what he was looking for and typed in a phone number.

‘Hello this is… deputy Parrish, I have your kid here…..Isaac yes….He wants to get home…..By the bridge close to the west woods….you know….okay bye.

The officer turned his phone off. ‘They are coming’. 

They waited in silence until Derek’s car stopped.

Derek stepped out. “Isaac what’s wrong?’ He asked, looking him up and down. 

‘I needed you’ Isaac said and he cried. He always cries. He felt like a baby.

‘Oh pup’ Derek hugged him. ‘Let’s get you home’ That was a sentence Derek also said too many times. Isaac let Derek move him to the car. 

Isaac stared out of the window ignoring Derek's questions. He wasn’t ready to say what happened yet. As long he didn’t say his treehouse was gone, maybe it wouldn’t be true then. 

Derek made him something to eat and gave him apple juice. ‘Stiles is away. He went to a football game with Scott and they will be home tomorrow’. 

Isaac squeezed his eyes fighting the tears. ‘I need him’.

‘I know. I wished you could tell me what happened’ Derek sighed sitting next to me. ‘I know I’m not Stiles but I will do everything I can to help you. I love you, you know that right’.

Isaac nodded fast. ‘I know. It burned’. 

Derek turned to him. ‘What burned?’

‘The lightning, it burned my house’ he was really crying now. Derek pushed him against his chest.

‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there’ Derek said. Isaac smelled the sadness. Derek really was sorry, even though he couldn’t have done a thing.

‘Everything is gone. I saw my teddy bear burn. I saw my house burn. Only ash is left’ he told the alpha’.

Derek just held him for a long time. ‘It’s getting late, do you want me to help you to bed. I know I’m not Stiles. But I can wash your hair and read you stories’ Derek offered.

Isaac nodded. ‘Please’. He needed someone to comfort him now.

Derek took him to the bathroom and helped him wash. He didn’t talk as much as Stiles did but he had soft hands and gave Isaac a lot more bubbelsoap then Stiles did. He played with the bubbles too. Putting them on Isaac's knees and trying to build a bubble tower. Isaac laughed. 

He was also very good at reading stories. He was lying next to Isaac and read him four stories! Before tucking Isaac in. He also kiss his forehead. 

Stiles did teach Derek how to take care of him. ‘Love you’ Isaac whispered. 

‘Love you too’ Derek said leaving the room. Isaac fell asleep feeling loved and cared for. 

In the middle of the night Isaac woke up screaming. He was dreaming about the fire. He saw the teddy bear burn again. Derek rushed in.

‘Sssh’ Derek said, laying next to him pulling him close. ‘Your safe, nothing will happen. Your alpha is here’. Derek froze. ‘I’m sorry. I know I’m not your alpha.

Isaac pushed his head into Derek's shoulder. ‘I won’t mind, you never hurt me. I want you as my alpha. I want you to protect me, to keep me safe’.

‘It’s okay. I will be your alpha. It would love to, you're already my little pup. Nothing will change’. Derek was petting his back.

‘Thank you Derek’ Isaac whispered. His eyes closed again.

The next morning Isaac woke feeling much better than he expected. Derek wasn’t there anymore but the bed still smiled like him. He realized he accepted Derek as his alpha now. He didn’t feel scared, he felt happy, protected. He knew Derek wouldn’t hurt him. Derek would help him, make sure he was happy.

Derek would make sure he would never be hungry again. Wouldn’t have to see his house burn. Derek would be a good alpha for him.

‘Isaac breakfast!’ Derek yelled from downstairs.

Isaac slowly walked down. 

‘I made pancakes’ Derek said.

‘Where is Peter?’ Isaac sat down at the table.

‘He left early. How do you feel?’

‘I not sure, I feel very sad about my treehouse but I'm sort of happy to be with you again. Is that weird?’

‘No, it’s normal. What happened to you, would make most people sad’.

‘Did Stiles tell you how to take care of me’ he asked.

‘Well I did observe him last time you stayed here. I needed to know what to do if he and Scott would be unavailable like last night’.

‘How late will Stiles get home?’

‘I called him this morning to explain what happened, they jumped in the car. They will be here around ten’. 

Isaac waited for them. Derek tried to distract him by turning the tv on and making him a smoothie. It didn’t work, Isaac kept starting to the door.

Finely he heard the car stop. Stiles and Scott walked to the door and opened it. 

Isaac jumped and hugged Stiles. ‘Hello pup. How are you?’ Stiles hugged him back.

‘The treehouse is gone’ he whispered.

‘Derek told me, I’m very sorry about that’ Stiles pushed him to sit on the sofa. 

‘Maybe we can build a new one,’ Scott said. 

Isaac's eyes wired ‘I didn’t think about that’. 

‘It’s easy, you could be back in a week’ Isaac didn’t answer, that thought should made him happy it didn’t.

Stiles was looking at him. ‘Or you stay here for a while. We can always build a new one in the summer’. 

Isaac felt relieved. ‘Yes, I would like that. I accepted Derek as my alpha’.

Stiles smiles ‘wow that’s a big step for you. I’m so proud’. 

‘I think I found a home and a pack. I never thought I would say that again. I love you guys’. 

Stiles hugged him ‘We love you too, welcome home’. 

A year later

Isaac couldn't believe how much his life changed. He still lived with Stiles and Derek and he was doing great. He learned how to read, write and do maths thanks to Stiles and the tutor he hired. 

He still had the same room in the Hale house, but he had painted the walls, brought new furniture. He had a big bookshelf with the books he and Stiles read together. There were even books he read by himself. He still needed Stiles but not as much as he used to. He bathed himself now and didn’t need to be tucked in anymore.

Sometimes he had a bad day, then Stiles would help him anyway even if it wasn’t necessary anymore. He wasn’t as scared as he used to be as well. He trusted Derek completely and Derek kept his word. He never hurt Isaac. 

He also got a job! He worked three days at Danny's studio, helping customers, cleaning and making art himself, Danny said he was really talented. Stiles and Derek brought all the paintings he made and they hung all over the house. Sometimes visitors would compliment them and Isaac would feel so proud!

He loved working at Danny’s. Danny had become one of his best friends. They visited a lot of museums together and talked about going to France sometime to see the Mona Lisa. 

Today it was exactly a year later, a year ago he met Derek on the bridge. They never built the new treehouse but they did go to the woods and picnic at the spot where his treehouse used to be. Stiles made sandwiches and smoothies. 

Isaac was standing in front of the burned tree and placed a letter inside of the leftover stump. 

It was a thank you letter for the woods. They had been his home for over seven years. It was symbolic. It showed how much he changed. He could write a letter now, he was here with people he loved and he had a home. 

He never expected this when he saw the fence a year ago but he was glad he tried to cross the bridge. If he hadn’t he would never have met Derek and his pack. He would never have found his home.

He would always love this part of the woods but it wasn’t home anymore. Home was with his pack. Where Stiles would hug him, Derek would protect him, Scott would keep him healthy and Peter, well Peter would be Peter. He found a family, a pack, a home.

The end

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story. I really hope you enjoy it. Kodus make me very happy 😊
> 
> If you want to chat, beta-read a story, have a plot suggestion for me or something completely different I’m Kapoentjes on Tumblr. I love writing so if you like something specific let me know 😊  
> Link Tumblr: https://kapoentjes.tumblr.com/


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